The rise of 2D materials/ferroelectrics for next generation photonics and optoelectronics devices

Abstract

Photonic and optoelectronic devices have been limited in most two-dimensional (2D) materials. Researchers have attempted diverse device structures, such as introducing some ferroelectric materials to form new hybrid materials that could improve the performance of these 2D devices. Ferroelectrics might adjust the carrier concentration, mobility, and bandgap of 2D materials to achieve non-volatile control of the photonic and optoelectronic properties. On the other hand, ferroelectrics have a spontaneous electric polarization that occurs below the Curie temperature and reverses under an applied electric field. The polarization can be modulated via incident light, while the light wavelengths can be tuned through switching the electric polarization. This could improve the performance of 2D photonic and optoelectronic devices. We believe that 2D materials, as an emerging member of 2D/ferroelectric hybrid materials, will have great potential in photonics and optoelectronics thanks to their tunable bandgap. Here, we provide a perspective of ferroelectrics on 2D materials for photonics and optoelectronics. We discuss the concept of ferroelectrics and their fundamentals and then present their unique advantages in optoelectronic devices.